Light
by Sheepulover
Summary: A young boy sets off on a journey to become a pokemon proffesor, but he is pulled into a villainous plot shrouded around something called Light. However, things are'nt always simple, and they certainly are'nt here. Pre-Generation 5.
1. Chapter 1

The sunlight streamed through the flimsy curtains, gently rousing Benjamin's consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked around his shabby room. In the shadowy half-light cast by his curtains everything looked as if it was in a dream- his backpack on the floor, his ancient desk in the corner, the empty closet pressed against the wall, and the two boxes of his possessions lying open on the floor. He slowly sat up in his bed and glanced at his tattered watch, which read 7:14- his mother would be up by now. He looked outside his window, peeling back the curtains to glimpse the outside world. Few people were on the street, and he could just see the sign welcoming visitors to Pallet Town. He let go of the curtain and let it fall back to its normal position, then lay back in his bed, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep, but he had hardly closed his eyes when he sat up suddenly in his bed- he had just remembered what day it was. It was his sixteenth birthday, and today he would finally be getting a pokemon of his own.

Most people received their first pokemon when they were ten, and they would either receive one from their parents, or catch one themselves, as very few people were entitled to receiving one from a pokemon professor. But Benjamin had never received a pokemon for several reasons. His mother didn't have any pokemon so she couldn't catch one for Benjamin; they didn't have much money so buying one wasn't really an option; and his mother needed him at home- he couldn't just go on a journey with his pokemon and leave his mother all alone, even though it was his future goal to become a pokemon professor. But in three days his mother would be moving in with her sister's family, and he would be able to pursue his dream- and he would be leaving today, with his friend Sam.

He jumped out of bed and began to pack his backpack, throwing in some spare clothes, his sleeping bag, the small pack of pokemon supplies he had been able to afford and his wallet, which was for once, not empty. For the past year he had worked as an assistant for a minor pokemon professor after school hours, and he saved all the money he had earned in anticipation for this day. He changed out of his pajamas and put them in one of the boxes on the floor, the boxes his mother would be bringing to her sister's home, at the other end of town. He swept through the room, looking for any loose items he had yet to pack. When he was sure he had gotten everything in order he sat back down in bed, struck by a wave of different emotions- excitement, anticipation, nervousness and a tinge of sadness- this house had been his home since he was six years old. In other words, since his father had passed away.

Benjamin's father was a kind-hearted man. He treated Benjamin and his mother well, he would look after the house his Benjamin's mother was tired or ill; he worked hard at his job to support his family and always spent time with his son. Some of Benjamin's earliest memories were of his father teaching him the names of the plants in the park, or how to handle an injured pokemon properly (his father had come from a family of pokemon breeders). But when Benjamin was just a small child of six, his father had caught a serious illness. He had to stay in the hospital for a full three months, three months that had been filled with nothing but fear and sorrow for Benjamin and his mother. After those three months, his father had been released from the hospital, supposedly cured. That was a mistake, and two weeks later, the illness had grown critical, and his father passed away.

A dull thud brought Benjamin back to his senses. He got up, worried, then realized it was probably the man downstairs leaving for work. Benjamin and his mother lived on the top floor of a three-storey apartment building and they could always hear noises from downstairs. Benjamin looked around his room one last time, making sure that everything was in order, and sighed. He took one last, lingering look around his room, opened the door, and left his bedroom, closing the door gently behind him. He turned with a deep breath, thinking of the house, but he brushed those thoughts out of his mind. His heart felt heavy, but when he saw his mother laying breakfast on the table excitement fizzled up within him once again- he could finally pursue his dream! His mother noticed him and smiled warmly at him.

"Happy Birthday, Benjamin! Would you like some breakfast?" She said to him.

"Thanks, and yes, please." He replied with a smile.

Joyful anticipation overcame him, and he joined his mother at the table.


	2. Chapter 2

Benjamin reached for the orange juice. He desperately wanted to ask about his pokemon, but was reluctant to start the conversation in case his mother mistook it as him wanting to leave the house. He conversed with his mother about various small things as he gulped down his breakfast, and when the last piece of cereal was gone from his bowl his mother stood up.

"I suppose you'd like to see your pokemon now?" asked his mother. When he nodded vigorously she laughed at him in a motherly fashion. "I'll go get it."

She disappeared into her room, and Benjamin cleared the table, wondering what pokemon it could be. His mother didn't have much money, so he wasn't expecting much, but still, it would be a pokemon, and it would be all his. Would it be a pidgey? Or a sentret? Maybe even a meowth? There were so many possibilities, but he knew he would love it the same either way.

He sat back at the table as his mother returned to the room. She sat back down and took out a pokeball, and placed it on the table, but didn't take her hand off it.

"Now, when I was at the pokemon center, looking at the notice board to see if anyone was advertising any pokemon for sale, a man came up to me and asked what I was looking for. When I told him I was looking to buy a pokemon for my son he began to tell me about this pokemon of his. He said he had purchased this pokemon from a very well-known breeder, hoping to train it into a strong, reliable pokemon for his pokemon team as he hopes to become the league champion. However, he said that this pokemon simply wasn't up to standards. He said it was scared of battling, scared of evolving and even scared of going into pokeballs- he said he spent half an hour coaxing it into this one. I thought this pokemon would be alright for you, as you won't really be using it in battles, and it will be mainly a companion on your journey instead of a powerhouse on a team. So I hope this pokemon is alright for you." Her voice shook on the last sentence, and Benjamin could tell she was feeling sad about his departure, which was looming just above their heads. She shook it off and passed the pokeball to Benjamin with a smile, tinged with sadness, and he could almost see tears glinting in her eyes. He took the pokeball from her hands.

"Thank you, mom," Said Benjamin softly, trying to make his love for his mother apparent in his voice. He looked at the pokeball in his hand and held it tightly- it was his. He had a pokemon! His hand shaking slightly with excitement, he raised the pokeball and in a swift movement he released the clasp and let the pokemon out. In a flash of red light, he could see the pokemon- he could see his pokemon- sitting on the floor. He gasped in surprised for he was seeing something he never could have expected to see- an eevee.

The eevee looked around, then squealed in fear and dashed beneath a chair. Benjamin got up as if in a daze- this was the pokemon he had always dreamed of, especially since his father had been a leafeon trainer. But at what cost did his eevee come at? He put the pokeball in his pocket and dropped on to his knees in front of the eevee, and gently offered his hand to it. It sniffed his hand, then seemed to deem his as a friend and threw itself into Benjamin's arms. He cradled it gently, it was trembling with fear. He cradled it close to him- he could feel its fluttering heart against his, and in that moment he knew that this pokemon was his, and nothing could make him give it up.

"Is it OK? That man said she was a female eevee. She cost a bit more than I planned to spend but he gave me a very good price, and I know that you have always wanted an eevee since you were just a little kid…" asked his mother, but her voice trailed off when she saw the sheer joy in his eyes.

Benjamin couldn't find his voice for a minute; he was so overcome with happiness. He felt the eevee's heartbeat slow down to a steadier pulse and he hugged it even closer, feeling her tenseness evaporate slowly and her body relaxed slightly.

"I'm naming her Wish," said Benjamin softly. "As she is exactly the pokemon I always wished for when I was little."

Benjamin put Wish down on the floor again, stroking her head as he did so, and turned to his mother.

"Mom, thank you so much for her, she's perfect in every way," Benjamin voice was hardly louder than a whisper, but it filled the small room. He gave his mother a loving hug. "I… need to go now. Sam will be waiting at his house… I love you, mom, and don't worry about me, I will come and visit you very often."

Benjamin's mother hugged him back, tears dripping down her cheeks. "I love you too, Benjamin, and I'll miss you so much… But it's time for you to go, to have an adventure of your own. Goodbye, Benjamin, I love you!"

Wish shyly padded up to them and nuzzled Benjamin's pants, wondering why sadness was emanating from everyone. Benjamin let go of his mother and walked to the front door.

"Goodbye, mom," called Benjamin one last time, then left the house, brushing away a tear from his eye. He straightened up, looked out into Pallet Town.

"Today, Wish, our journey begins."


End file.
